Butterfly Dream: Love, Soul, Resurrection, and Aesthetics

Author: Xiao Bing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Zhuangzi's Dream of the Butterfly, the Butterfly Transformation of Liang Zhu, and the ancient Greeks also believed that separated souls could turn into butterflies. The famous beautiful maiden Psyche, whose name means "butterfly" and "soul," embodies this belief. Butterflies can represent changes in life status and the spiritual world, and the Butterfly Dream conveys mysterious messages about human life. The butterfly culture resonates across history and cultures. The metamorphosis of a butterfly represents a person's journey from birth to death, ultimately achieving nirvana—the rebirth of the soul. "The Illustrated Series of Cultural Legends" consists of three titles: "The Mermaid"—symbolizing sex, life, and death; "The Tibetan Mastiff"—spiritual dogs, the mythical Dagon, and divine insects; "The Butterfly Dream"—love, soul, resurrection, and aesthetics. All three books are set against the backdrop of Chinese culture, conducting comparative studies across East and West to decipher the timeless cultural codes. This is a popular reading book on folklore written by the renowned cultural anthropologist, Professor Xiao Bing, for a broad readership.